a. Field of the Invention
The process is related to the separation of tantalum or antimony pentafluoride from isobutyryl fluoride (IBF) and hydrogen fluoride without substantial decomposition of the pentafluoride and isobutyryl fluoride.
b. Description of the Prior Art
Tantalum or antimony pentafluoride, if used as a catalyst, when separated from the reaction products by hydrolysis, reacts with water and is destroyed (Cotton and Wilkinson, 4th Edition, Adv. Inorg Chem. page 834, 835). Hence, their use as catalysts is unsuitable for commercial processes. U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,871 uses liquid/liquid extraction to remove hydrocarbons from HF and TaF.sub.5 as a means of separating the pentafluoride without destroying it.
The invention described herein separates the tantalum and antimony pentafluoride by a simple method from a product mixture of a catalyzed reaction so that pentafluoride can readily be recycled and used again, and the isobutyryl fluoride is substantially recovered.